POB Community Forum Focuses on Tolerance

The Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District recently held a special, student-led community forum focusing on diversity and appropriate ways to discuss difficult topics. The forum was held amid the current conflict in the Middle East and rising tensions at home and at schools across the country.

Student moderators led small discussion groups comprising parents, teachers and school administrators, discussing three questions:

• How do POB Schools celebrate and embrace the diversity of our community?
• What are some challenges facing the District in the areas of equity, inclusivity and belonging?
• What are some ways we can improve and enhance a welcoming and affirming environment for students, staff and families?

The student moderators worked to ensure that all members of the group had a chance to contribute and that all conversations stayed civil. Crucially, students were in agreement that some topics of discussion may cause discomfort. The ultimate goal of the forum was to come up with new ways to ensure all members of the POB school community feel welcomed. The forum took on an added importance and urgency as discussions around the war in Gaza have turned uncivil at schools and universities across the country. Thanks to the ideas gleaned through collaboration during the forum, the District has new tools and ideas to ensure it remains a diverse and welcoming environment.

“It’s critical to discuss what we can do better as a community and how we can best support the people in this community,” said senior Lindsay Hamburger, one of the students leading the discussions during the forum.

For more information about the Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District, please visit the District’s website at www.pobschools.org. Exciting activities happening throughout the District and programs celebrating student achievement can also be found on the District’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pobschools/.